Chapter 137 Is It You Who Stole It?
Juliana understood now. She couldn't help laughing. "Why does everyone like this Wentworth guy? Is he really that great? Worth all this fighting over?"
"Aren't you pretty close with his mother? Hasn't she shown you his photos?" Natalia asked.
"She has. Honestly, he's good-looking, but I've seen hotter guys," Juliana said with a smile.
She'd grown up surrounded by flowers and applause, countless people flattering and pursuing her. If she hadn't been so focused on academics, she could have married the son of some real estate tycoon or shipping magnate by now.
Wentworth's family might be prominent, but that wasn't enough to make her fall for him.
Juliana patted Natalia's shoulder. "He's just a guy. I'll introduce you to better ones. Stop giving Ms. Spencer such a hard time."
Natalia rolled her eyes. "There's no one better than Wentworth."
Matilda didn't really know them, so she kept browsing the jewelry, not joining their conversation.
Seeing Matilda's dismissive attitude made Natalia's blood boil again. She was going to teach Matilda a lesson today.
She walked to the counter and had the sales associate pull out a diamond bracelet worth twenty thousand dollars. After examining it for a while, she put it back, saying she wanted to see other styles. Knowing she was a wealthy socialite, the sales associate brought out all the store's most expensive bracelets for her to browse. Before long, Natalia had drifted over to where Matilda was standing.
Matilda had been deliberating forever and still couldn't decide what to give. If she gave something too expensive, it would look like she was sucking up to the deputy director. Too cheap, and she'd look stingy. She decided on a pendant around two thousand dollars—something a bit special but not too expensive, suitable for a child. There were quite a few styles to choose from. After much consideration, she settled on one with an emerald—green for good luck.
When she went to pay, Natalia got in line behind her, ready to purchase two bracelets at twenty thousand each.
Matilda had just paid and was about to leave when Natalia suddenly cried out, "Oh! Where did my other bracelet go?"
Matilda ignored her. What did a missing bracelet have to do with her? She walked toward the exit, but the security alarm suddenly went off.
Each bracelet here was tagged with a barcode—if unpaid merchandise left the store, the alarm would sound.
Everyone turned to look at Matilda. She looked genuinely confused. She pointed to the receipt in her hand. "I already paid."
But Natalia shouted, "Did you take my bracelet? I'm missing one—did you steal it?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I steal your bracelet?"
"Then why did the alarm go off when you walked out? Do you dare let everyone search your bag?"
Matilda let out a cold laugh. She walked back to the counter, set down her purse, and opened it. Her purse was smaller than a sheet of paper, with magnetic closure instead of a zipper—just pop the clasp and you could see everything inside.
But when she opened it, she froze. A bracelet lay inside.
Natalia said to the stunned sales staff, "What are you waiting for? Call the police!"
"Wait!" "Hold on!"
Matilda and Juliana spoke at the same time.
Though shocked and nervous, Matilda knew she hadn't done anything wrong. Even if the police came, she wasn't afraid—getting them involved would prove her innocence. But if the cops actually showed up and took her in for questioning, even if she was innocent, this whole ordeal would be hard to shake off. Natalia would definitely use it against her.
Juliana called a halt because the whole thing seemed suspicious. Sure, Natalia was her cousin, but she didn't believe Matilda was desperate enough to steal.
Juliana addressed one of the store managers. "You've got cameras everywhere. Can you check the footage? See exactly when Ms. Spencer supposedly put the bracelet in her bag?"
A flash of displeasure crossed Natalia's face. "Whose side are you on—mine or hers?"
Juliana smiled. "I'm not taking sides. I just want to see the truth."
Matilda knew she hadn't stolen anything. She strongly insisted on checking the surveillance footage.
Before long, they'd pulled up the recent footage. The jewelry store's cameras were crystal clear. Matilda had only touched the pendant—she'd never gone near the bracelets, which had been in Natalia's hands the whole time.
Caught out, Natalia said without batting an eye, "It probably fell into Ms. Spencer's bag accidentally when we were in line. Ms. Spencer, maybe don't wear your bag so high next time—things can fall in without you noticing."
No one believed Natalia's explanation. But while the footage was clear, when Natalia had slipped the bracelet into the bag, she'd done it so smoothly it really did look like she'd accidentally dropped it.
Natalia told the manager, "I'll take both these bracelets today. Plus, I'll pick out a gold necklace for my cousin as a welcome-home gift."
With Natalia about to drop several tens of thousands of dollars, the manager naturally didn't want to offend her. To apologize to Matilda, the manager gave her a silver bracelet worth five hundred dollars. The manager apologized profusely, hoping Matilda wouldn't antagonize Natalia—these sales people depended on commission to make a living.
Matilda had no choice but to take the silver bracelet and leave.
...
Juliana and Natalia sat in a coffee shop.
Natalia was still fuming. "Why did you take her side back there?"
"I wasn't taking her side. She's a Gonzaga daughter-in-law, and Mrs. Gonzaga's been very good to me abroad. If you accuse her of being a thief, it reflects badly on Mrs. Gonzaga too."
"So you'd just let that lowlife walk all over us?"
Juliana shook her head with a smile. "There's no such thing as high or low in this world. All people are equal, and love transcends everything. Natalia, you've liked Wentworth for ages, but he's never liked you back. That means you're not compatible. He and Ms. Spencer are the ones meant to be together."
"I don't believe in that fate nonsense."
Natalia angrily gulped down her coffee in one go. "I just can't let this go!"
Juliana shook her head. She'd grown up pretty free-spirited and bold. She'd had her first boyfriend at fourteen, then a second, then a third. But after dating for a while, they'd all chosen to break up with her. They all said she was too rational, too mentally strong—that dating her felt like being her student.